July 11, 2007

Room Arrangement: The Office!

I am so utterly predictable.

Whenever I start to feel antsy, I do one of two things:

1. I cut off my hair, or
2. I rearrange furniture like there's no tomorrow.

Since all of you are helping keep me accountable with option number ONE, I had to do the next best thing: Option TWO.

Last November, I was feeling jittery and so I made Chris help me switch the office and Ezra's room (without delay!) on a Tuesday night. This is what the room looked like last November.






Since the switch, I have loved Ezra's new room, but this office / guest room has never felt quite "right" to me. The desk was shoved in the corner farthest from the window, and the couch covered the single air vent in the entire room, so it was always too hot or too cold in there. It always felt cluttery and random in there to me. I am the kind of person who won't rest until a room feels 'correct'- I can't hang out in it or relax in it until it is just right.

Finally, yesterday, I decided it was time to make some adjustments. So, I rearranged the whole office. By myself. During Ezra's nap time. Boo-yah!

Here's what it looks like now:





I removed the coffee table and the rug entirely so that the room wouldn't feel so cluttered. The room feels a lot bigger and brighter because of it. And how cool is that desk?? A friend gave it to us a few months ago-- it belonged to his father and it's an old army-issued desk from way back in the day. Our friend painted it black and changed out the hardware, but had no use for it anymore. We LOVE it! We wanted a more 'modern' feel to this room... less patterns and more sharp lines. Chris wants this room to be "green and black" with no extra frilly froo-froo anywhere. It's getting there!

The biggest plus to this new arrangement, however, is the fact that now, as I sit and type this, I can gaze out my window into my backyard and feel the sunlight on my face. I can watch the squirrels run across the telephone wires and then make kamikaze dives onto nearby branches.

Geesh, that's nerve-wracking.

Something about rearranging furniture really calms me down when I'm feeling all amped up. It makes me feel centered and calm, and since yesterday I have wanted to do nothing but sit in this room and write. How can such a small act change my entire emotional state? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know this:

I'm running out of rooms to rearrange, and the scissors are calling out my name.

Must... not.... cut...hair!

WILL... REMAIN... STRONG!


*hides scissors in the very back of the top desk drawer*

*knows full well that this will do nothing but frustrate husband when he is looking for scissors later*

*giggles to self.*

*hits 'publish' button.*

*goes and makes a sandwhich.*

*is stopping the obnoxious running commentary now...*

*...promise.*

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

so funny....i think you and I are so much more alike than we ever imagined....I always love to move the furniture around I just told david the other day I wanted to move our bed....so funny and then of course the whole hair thing

IndianaJones said...

I have pondered this same question...it seems like such simple itty bitty tiny little things like a hair cut, room rearrangement or even a shower can flip a switch in me...
I'm dangerously close to chopping all my hair off too...and I own three pairs of scissors plus the kitchen shears...uh oh.
Once again, I love your writing...I'm probably a broken record by now but it is just never a let down to come to your page. Thanks.

Erik said...

Let me tell you, I have the same question. I am always needing to move everything in my house. My wife and stepson hate it. they don't like change much. Me on the otherhand, I need it as often as I can get it.

*ps just throw the scissors out that window in front of you*

misguidedmommy said...

i am the same way about painting rooms. and the only room left to paint in my entire house is my sons bathroom. i'm running out of things to paint. so my next project is turning my office from a babies room. however, my stinky family is forcing me to wait until a few weeks before the baby comes since i'll technically be taking away robs playstation room. so now i just get to sit and stair at this room and my sons room and think about how i could redo them (brandon is getting a new dresser and night stand and play table with chairs) the new baby is getting his old dresser/changing table, the glider/ ottomen and the other dresser thingy. so i'm just itching to move the two rooms around and play with all the new baby clothes and uggggg why am i pregnant and not allowed to move anything

Anonymous said...

It's called Feng Shui ... apparently it works !

Brittany said...

I do the same thing. But some rooms in my house can't be rearranged so I just move all of the accessories or paint the walls. I've put so many holes in my walls because I've decided that "I want this picture here instead of here..." Or I'll wake up one day and decide to paint a room. I do it all by myself before Cody gets home from work. (but it's harder nopw with a baby. He just doesn't cooperate).

Cody doesn't mind it at all, but for some reason it really annoys my best friend. She's always like, "Why did you move your stuff AGAIN???"

I don't know why she cares.

Flo Paris said...

The office looks great!!
Isn't it amazing when you are able to tackle such a project, AND finish it while your child is napping?? Good job!

I'm totally the same way with hair cutting and furniture rearranging.
One of our first, sort of unofficial dates, Josh drove 30 minutes to my house on a whim because I said I was thinking of rearranging my furniture.
Now, he also likes doing that, which is why he said he wanted to come over, but I'm pretty sure it had a bit more to do with me, than with the room:)

Katy said...

Hey Emery! My name's Katy and I ran across your blog one day when I was looking at Cameron Ingalls blog. It's weird that I always look at the blog of someone who lives all the way across the U.S. and feel like I can relate to so many of your stories! For example this one, I constantly am rearranging my room and the furniture in my parents house ALL THE TIME! especially when I am stressed out, I just start rearranging and organizing things and I can't stop!! And as for the being hit on thing from the last blog.. I feel like I am constantly being hit on by old men (it doesn't help that I live in West Virginia and most of the men here are rednecks and old!) HAHA! I love your clothes and your style! Anyways... just thought I'd let you know that out in the crazy blog world, I always keep updated on yours! HAHA!

lorieloo said...

I'm drooling over your desk...

Em said...

Its always hair for me, well done with self control!

Megan said...

Emery - thank you for the suggestion! Only thing is, I've already sort of blogged about that. :-) Check it out here: http://mleeannis.blogspot.com/2007/04/2-years.html

I've thought about expanding on it. Obviously, a lot more went on in my head and in my heart than I was able to write in one blog post.

LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog!

Anonymous said...

Good heavens, I'm the same way!! I can't tell you how many times I cut my hair (unfortunately for me, it never comes out well >_< or rearranged the furniture in my room when I'm feeling antsy!! Well, to tell the truth I more often cut my hair than rearrange furniture, but that's only because I share a room. >_<

JUST A MOM said...

I only had to read the begining of your post,, I am so happy I am NOT ALONE!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I found your page because I was actually getting worried that I might have a mental problem. I move furniture ALL THE TIME, EVERY DAY. Every so often I hit on an arrangement that just feels in tune, like a C major 7th chord, and it will stay that way...for about a month. Now that I have discovered Freecycle and Craigslist there is actually the added fun of getting free furniture to put in the mix! So now I go to bed (as soon as I move it to the other wall) reassured that I am not alone and, from all of your posts, I am not INSANE!